The present invention relates to video surveillance. Many systems that provide video surveillance and/or tracking functions are built around the notion of data pedigree. Data pedigree is the record of the ancestry of data items. Data pedigree may include metrics such as estimated reliability of the data items and/or confidence in the data items. One common way of maintaining data pedigree is to create a system in which the data is stored within a large, centralized database. The centralized database allows access to the data to be tightly controlled.
This approach, however, is not without disadvantages. For example, using a large, centralized database may add complexity to the system. Further, all participating entities must be integrated into the same system in order to access the centralized database. In addition, a centralized database may pose a rich target for nefarious activities thereby creating a security risk. One breech of the centralized database may reveal complete tracking information about one or more different tracked objects.